Improvement in hydrants



by nuts.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

LEVIN P. CLARK, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN HYDRANTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,185, dated September3, 1861.

To all whom. t may concern.-

Beit known that I, LEvIN P. CLARK, of Baltimore, in the State ofMaryland, have invented certainImprovements in Pumps and Hydrants; andIdo hereby declare the fol :lowing to be a correct description of thesame,

reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which is a centralvertical section of a hydrant with myiinprovements applied.

The nature of my improvement consists in the combination of a plunger orpiston of glazed earthenware with an annular packing of india-rubber orother similar substance prepared and arranged, as hereinafter described,for the purposeofobviatingthe effects of grit and reducing friction,thus reducing the wear and facilitating the working of the parts, whileat the same time the taste of the water is unaffected by the contact ofthe niaterials employed.

In the drawing, A I3 mark the lever by which the piston-rod is operated,C the piston-rod, and D the head by which it is connected with leverA B.The rod C is attached to the piston or plunger E by means of the heads gh, packed by the ru'bber rings k Z. The plunger E, I make of glazedearthenware.

F marks the cylinder, and G the cylinderhead, attached in the usual wayby bolts f passing through the iianges s r and secured Between thecylinder F and its head G is inserted an annular packing n, which isinclined downward and inward by the lip 'tu on the inner rim of head G.This packing, which is covered with powdered soapstone applied to it bymeans of warm gum, comes in contact with the outer surface of theearthenware plunger E and closely embraces it, forming a water-tightjoint.

II marks the valve of the shape shown and having a stem fu projecting upthrough the lower cylinder-head I and coming in contact with the bottomof plunger-head h. Attached lo the valve-stem o is spiral spring S,which operates to keep the valve H up in Contact with its seat J.

m and o mark annular rubber paokings between attached parts.

K marks the inlet-pipe, P the exit or delivery pipe, and the arrows z'indicate the course ofthe water.

The operation is as follows: When it is desired to draw water, theplunger E is forced downward. Its lower head 7L presses down thevalve-stem t' and lowers the valve II from contact with its seat. Thisopens a passage for the water, which iiows upward into lthe cylinder Fand out through delivery-pipe I). Then the dow of water is to bestopped, the force applied to the piston-rod C is removed, when thespring S draws up the valve I-I into contact with its seat and closesthe waterway. The action of the spring S is assisted by the upwardpressure of the water acting against the cup-shaped bottom of valve H.

.The pressure of the water against the paok- A ing n increases the forcewith which it presses against the plunger E. The plunger moves easily inthe packing, and any sand or grit that may be in the water so far fromacting as an obstruction increases the facility with `which the plungermoves in the ring and acts like a lubricator.

Experiment has shown that the soapstone on the surface of the ring doesnot wash or wear off, but attracts to itself other gritty substancesfrom the water, forming with them a permanent and perfect lubricator.

I am aware that glass and rubber have been long used in pumps andsyringes, and I wish it to be understood that I do not claim either ot'them or their combination, broadly, but,

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, in a hydrant or pump, of an earthenware plunger havinga vitreous surface with an india-rubber or other similar packing,prepared and arranged substantially in the manner and for the purposehereinbefore described.

The above specification signed and witnessed this 28th day of December,A. D. 1860.

L. I). CLARK. Witnesses:

CHAs. F. STANSBURY, F. W. HOWARD.

